Today we’d like to introduce you to Grace Loemba Ndello
Hi Grace, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I grew up in Congo, a beautiful country in Central Africa, where celebrations and weddings are a big part of the culture. From my upbringing I enjoyed gatherings, cooking food with family, weddings, and all type of celebrations. I really fell in love with wedding planning when I planned my own wedding in 2016. My fiance (now husband) and I had to plan our wedding by ourselves because our family leaves out of the country, and we seriously enjoyed every details of it; meeting vendors, going to bridal expos, etc… As a bride who had to plan her own wedding, I fell in love with wedding planning, and I also got to learn what an enjoyable wedding planning experience look like, and what it should not look like. I really never thought about having a wedding planning company until my husband suggested it, after seeing that I had really enjoyed planning our wedding, and managing different ways to get through the natural chaos of wedding planning. That’s when my wedding planning company was born. Of course at first I did not know anything about running a business, left alone anything about the wedding industry. I had to educate myself, get a coach, connect with other wedding professionals, build relationships, and refine my processes again and again to better serve couples. Looking back today, it is really an honor to have met so many wonderful couples who trusted me with their special day.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road to building a wedding planning business from scratch has been anything but smooth. There has been a lot of high and lows, and more lows. For one, the entrepreneurial journey can get pretty lonely, and one needs to create their own village to rely on, and make it through the hard times. I started my business not knowing anything about the wedding industry, and after my first year I nearly quit. I decided to stop all activities, and almost closed doors when I came across my first wedding coach, and she was the light in the darkness. After learning how to properly start a business, I started putting myself more out there, talking more about how I serve couples and why I’m the best planner for them. Then I find my second coach and mentor, who really helped me take my business to the next level, and customize a planning experience that only I can offer to couples. I’m a big believer in education and in mentoring/coaching to help discover what makes you unique in a very competitive market such as the wedding industry.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My name is Grace Loemba Ndello, and I’m the owner and lead planner of Zolana Weddings, a wedding planning and bridal concierge company based in Columbus, Ohio. We plan weddings for the sophisticated and elegant couple who values mixing traditions and personal values. In addition to Ohio, we also serve couples in Philadelphia, PA, and its surrounding areas. One thing we are also known for and are proud of is to be the go to wedding planners for celebrating multicultural love.
One thing I’m proud of personally and professionally is to have built this business who honorably serves couples by allowing them to have a wonderful wedding planning experience, and enjoy their engagement. Planning a wedding can be overwhelming to the point where couples do not enjoy their engagement, but our personalized process makes it easy for them to focus on what matters. One of the ways we provide a luxury customer experience is also through our bridal concierge service to better serve our brides. Wedding days can be very emotionally stressful, and this service provides a special attention to the bride, giving her a personal bridal attendant that can cater to all the little tasks while she relaxes and enjoy every special moments with her bridal party.
What sets us apart is our true desire to serve couples, our showing grace under pressure, our commitment to excellence, our showing up as we truly are in and out of the room, our cultural awareness and our willingness to always learn as the industry grows.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
The Covid-19 crisis has without a doubt affected the wedding industry. With all the changes the world has seen since 2020, a couple of things we learned are:
First, to be more flexible in the way we serve couple. After Covid-19, more and more couples valued having an experience rather than just having a wedding. This means creating moments that are more personal, intimate, and meaningful, as people now cherish gatherings and celebrations more than ever.
We had to be able to adapt quickly. We went from meeting clients in person to meeting them virtually, and then going back to meeting in person. We also had to adjust to new safety protocols for our team and for our couples.
Secondly, we had to review our Standard Operating Procedures and document everything we do in the company to make it easy to train new wedding specialists, and for the information to be easily relayed if an emergency arises.
Last but not least, Covid definitely taught us to shift all our processes to a digital form: with virtual consultations and digital planning, we make it easier for couples to communicate with us. Decisions are made faster, and our busy couples have more time to focus on what truly matters to them and their loved ones.
Pricing:
- Wedding Management: $3000
- Full Service: $6,500
- Bridal Concierge: $1500
- Wedding Weekend Full Service: $9,950
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.zolanaweddings.com
- Instagram: @zolana.weddings
- Other: Email: hello@zolanaweddings.com
